Leading the new fight on hunger
In the past two weeks we have seen a dramatic increase in the demand for our services. We anticipate that need will grow exponentially as schools remain closed and paychecks disappear. As a supporter of the Food Bank, we wanted to give you an inside look at what it’s like to lead in a crisis and adapt our services to the ever-changing new normal.
What keeps you going during these uncertain times?
Things have been very stressful, but what motivates me is simply thinking about people going to bed hungry–especially children because I am a father. Being at a food distribution and seeing how excited some kids get over the opportunity to eat fruit–as though it’s Christmas–just makes me want to do more. Ensuring our staff and clients are safe also really drives me.
How have the last seven years at the Food Bank prepared you for something of this scale?
I have been in food banking for 20 years and honestly, nothing can fully prepare you for this. I’d say having prior strategies in place on how to best reach our hardest-hit communities is helpful and utilizing our established partnerships in the community is key!
You wear a lot of hats, from being in charge of warehouse operations in both Concord and Fairfield, to managing the technology needs of the organization, what have some of your challenges been?
Due to supply and demand, we’re running into many shipping delays for the food we are ordering. On the technology side–to keep our employees as safe as possible, we’re allowing those who can do their job from home to do so. That has required purchasing additional equipment and investing time getting those staff members up and running so we can continue our services.
